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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28972047">Strength in numbers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillTheActor/pseuds/KillTheActor'>KillTheActor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abrupt Ending, Alternate Universe - Human, Anyways, Found Family, Gen, I have homework to do and I'm procrastinating, Minor Character Death, That's all the zombies, That's gonna feature in everything i write because hell yeah, Yeah i'm not gonna finish it so if anyone ever wants to take it go ahead, Zombie Apocalypse, idk what else to tag</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:47:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,198</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28972047</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillTheActor/pseuds/KillTheActor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hornet, Hollow, and Ghost are three siblings who live together (somewhat) happily. Unfortunately for them, or maybe fortunately depending on how you look at it, the world decides that they shouldn't be alone anymore. However, the world decides that a zombie apocalypse is the perfect solution for that. So now the three of them have to survive, while finding a few friends along the way.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Myla &amp; Quirrel (Hollow Knight), The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel &amp; Hornet &amp; The Knight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Strength in numbers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! I'm procrastinating working on my like 8 other wips, and this idea came into my room and told me that I was gonna write it, so I did. Anyways, hope you enjoy this found family Zombie apocalypse mess, and if you like it go ahead and drop a comment. (Also I wrote the last bit of this while on a fuck ton of cold medicine, so if it looks a bit weird then that's why) Thanks to Mons and Choy for betaing for me! &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Ghost! Where's Hollow?"</p><p>Ghost turned away from the TV at the sound of their sister's shout. Hollow's head popped out of the kitchen as Hornet came down the steps.</p><p>"There you are, mother and father aren't answering my calls so it looks they aren't going to be coming home tonight."</p><p>Hollow sighed, and Ghost's shoulders slumped slightly. 'Of course they're not.' Signed Ghost as they turned their gaze downwards. Hornet frowned, moving over to comfort Ghost as Hollow did the same.</p><p>“It’s fine Ghost, we have each other, right?” Hornet stepped in front of them, tilting their head upwards. She held Ghost’s gaze, trying to portray as much sincerity as possible. In return for her effort, she got a small smile from her sibling. </p><p>‘Yeah, I-’</p><p>Before Ghost could finish their sentence, a loud alarm came from the tv, startling all three of them, and they turned towards it. The screen was black, with white text stating that it was an emergency broadcast message, and that it was not a drill. A robotic voice began the message from the tv, and the three siblings traded confused glances.</p><p>"This is an emergency alert message. This is not a test. This warning is for the following area: The State of Hallownest and any areas surrounding it." Hornet went rigid as Hollow leaned into her side and Ghost moved closer to the television."A viral outbreak has occurred. It is highly contagious and lethal. Please stay in your homes and do not panic."<i> Don't panic!? Are they fucking kidding me!? </i>Hornet thought, her mind racing.</p><p>"If you come into contact with a sick individual, please contact the centers for disease control immediately. We ask that you quarantine any individuals who are showing symptoms of the infection. Symptoms include but are not limited too; difficulty breathing, a numbness in limbs, cognitive issues such as memory loss, extreme hunger, and aggressive outbursts."</p><p>The room was silent, excluding the shallow breaths of the siblings and the static from the tv.</p><p>"...We have made the decision to refer to the infected as Zombies."</p><p>The TV returned to it's previous show, but no one was paying attention to it anymore. Everyone was frozen, until Hornet snapped out of it and reached for her phone with shaking hands. She opened her contact list and called her Stepmother.</p><p>"Please,<i> please </i>answer." She whispered, her whole body trembling. </p><p>"Hello, this is Blanca Dama, please leave a message at the beep."</p><p>Hornet felt her heart stop at the sound of the long beep, before it began beating faster than it ever had in her life. She snapped her head up towards her siblings, and made eye contact with Ghost. The kid was sobbing, tears rapidly making their way down Ghost's face.</p><p>At the sight of her sibling's terror, she pulled them into a hug, and felt Hollow doing the same. They stayed like that, taking any amount of comfort they could get. Ghost continued crying, and Hornet could feel tears spring to her eyes as well. Through a watery gaze, she looked up at Hollow, and saw that they were crying as well. The two eldest held each other closer, all of them shaking. They were interrupted by the sound of a low groan, and Hornet reluctantly pulled away from the hug, moving towards the window to glance outside.</p><p>She then let out a scream as a body threw itself through the window. She barely noticed her siblings letting out twin cries of terror as she stared at the body in horror. Slowly, it began to rise, and Hornet gagged at the sight of its face.</p><p>One of its eyes was missing, and the other was hanging out of it's socket, but what<i> really </i>scared Hornet was the look in it's eye. It's gaze was dead, empty, and<i> focused completely on her. </i></p><p>The room was silent, everyone waiting with bated breath as Hornet locked gazes with the creature. It suddenly seemed to come to life, letting out a snarl and lunging towards Hornet.</p><p>Everyone was screaming, panicking as Hornet was nearly tackled. Her fight or flight kicked in, and she darted to the side, barely avoiding the attack. It whirled towards her again, drool dripping from its mouth.</p><p>Hornet froze, fear stealing her breath away as the monster once again leapt towards her. Everything seemed to slow down for a moment, and all Hornet could hear was her own heartbeat. Then everything came crashing back with a vengeance as the<i> zombie </i>crashed into her.</p><p>She laid there, unmoving, as the zombie moved to bite her. She closed her eyes, accepting the inevitable, and had one final thought.<i> I'm sorry Ghost, I'm sorry Hollow. </i></p><p>She heard a squelch, and braced herself for agony. Instead of pain, she felt a weight land on top of her and jolted in surprise. She opened her eyes to see a kitchen knife in the top of the zombies head, and then glanced up to see Hollow standing there, panting, with their hand wrapped around the handle of the knife.</p><p>Just then, the reality of what they had just done seemed to hit them, and they ran for the trashcan. They heaved, throwing up everything they had eaten that day (which wasn't much). They stood there, bent over the trash, and stared into it with blank eyes. Then they straightened up, wiping their mouth and meeting Hornet's eyes.</p><p>Hornet slowly slid out from underneath the corpse, and started to stand in order to go comfort Hollow. However, before she could get all the way back onto her feet, she was tackled to the ground once more. This time however her assailant, instead of being a rotting corpse hellbent on killing her, was a sobbing Ghost.</p><p>Hornet immediately moved to comfort her sibling, slowly reassuring them that she was alright, and so was Hollow. Once Ghost finally calmed down, Hornet took charge once more. "Alright, we need to board up the windows and the door, Hollow, can you check upstairs and see if there's anything useful?"</p><p>Hollow immediately moved to do as she said, sending one last glance back at their siblings before they disappeared upstairs. Hornet turned to Ghost, softening her voice and kneeling down. "Ghost? Can you help me move the couch so it's in front of the door?"</p><p>Ghost nodded, and Hornet's heart gave a pang at the sight of their teary eyes and red face. She pulled them into a hug once more, and they clung to her with everything they had. Hornet buried her face in Ghost’s hair, barely noticing the growing wet spot on her sweatshirt. She paid no attention to the shadows moving outside the window, focused completely on comforting the trembling mess in her arms.</p><p>At the sound of a loud bang, both of them flinched and Hollow ran back downstairs. The three of them huddled together, staring at the door as the banging continued. It became more frantic, growing faster and more desperate.</p><p>Hornet slowly moved over to the dead body still laying on the floor, and took the knife out of it's head, gagging as she did so. She moved back in front of her siblings, and pointed her weapon at the door, ignoring the way her hands shook.</p><p>Muffled shouts could be heard through the door, and when Hornet strained herself, she could just barely make out what they were saying. "-Please i’m begging you let us in-" "- please I'm scared I don't want to die-"</p><p>There were two voices, one male and one female, and both sounded hysterical. Hornet glanced back at her siblings, and at Hollow's nod, moved to open the door. The second she did, two figures burst into the house, and Hornet immediately locked the door behind them.</p><p>When she turned around, she finally got a good look at the two. One was wearing a torn sweater vest and a pair of glasses, while the younger was wearing a purple hoodie with a bloodstain on the front. Both of them were shaking.</p><p>Hornet cleared her throat quietly, and they both flinched, turning to her with wide eyes. She forced herself to remain calm, and opened her mouth to speak. "Are you two alright?"</p><p>"Are we alright?<i> ARE WE ALRIGHT?" </i>Screamed the one with the hoodie, tears running down her face.<i> "MY CLASSMATE JUST TRIED TO EAT ME AND YOU'RE ASKING IF I'M<b> ALRIGHT!?" </b> </i></p><p>The one in the vest put a hand on her shoulder and she curled into him, sobbing quietly. He whispered reassurances into her ear until her shaking slowed, and then turned towards the siblings.</p><p>"My apologies, it's been-” he took a shuddering breath, "-It's been a long day." He said with a bitter grin. "My name is Quirrel, and this is Myla."</p><p>Hollow stepped forwards, drawing Quirrel's gaze towards them. 'Hello Quirrel, it's nice to meet you, my name is Hollow, and these are my siblings, Hornet and Ghost.' Hornet nodded at them, preoccupied with pushing the couch in front of the door, and Ghost gave them a small wave. </p><p>Quirrel reluctantly let go of Myla, moving over to Hornet. He stood next to her and they began shoving at the couch together. After a few minutes the couch was firmly blocking the door, and they stood there for a moment. Hornet moved to stand over by Hollow, throwing a quiet “thanks” over her shoulder. Quirrel gave a brief smile, before it was wiped off his face by the sound of a quiet sob. He whirled back to Myla, only to see that someone had beaten him to the punch.</p><p>Myla continued to cry, distraught, until she felt a small tug at her shirt. She turned around, confused when she didn’t see anyone. She felt another, more insistent tug, and then glanced down. She met Ghost’s eyes, and they smiled at her, opening their arms. Myla’s hand flew up to her mouth to muffle another sob as she dropped to her knees and threw her arms around Ghost. She broke down completely in their arms, and they reached up and pat her head in an attempt to help comfort her.</p><p>Neither of them noticed Hollow moving towards them until they tapped Myla on the shoulder. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but if you would like, we have a bed upstairs that you could rest in.’ they signed with a small smile. </p><p>Myla sniffled, wiping her eyes, “Yeah, that- that’d be great, thanks.” </p><p>‘Alright, come with me then.’ Hollow led Myla upstairs, Ghost following them, and they showed her the guest bedroom, where she laid on top of the bed and curled into a ball. Ghost joined her, curling into her side, and they received a watery smile. Hollow turned off the lights and closed the door, then went back to the living room.</p><p>Immediately, they could tell that they had interrupted something. Quirrel and Hornet both had serious looks on their faces, and when they turned to look at Hollow, they felt the events of the day begin to catch up with them. They stumbled into a chair, and turned their gaze onto Hornet. Hornet took a deep breath, preparing herself.</p><p>“What the fuck do we do now.” It was dead silent, and no one responded. It was as though the house itself was waiting for an answer that would never come. Hornet pressed her hands into her face, and collapsed into a chair near Hollow’s. Quirrel followed their lead, and everyone sat in the heavy silence for a few moments. Quirrel ended up being the one to break it, his voice ringing out clearly in the quiet of the room.</p><p>“What<i> can </i>we do? We don’t know if help will come, and we know next to nothing about these creatures...” He was staring emptily at the corpse still laying on the ground. Everyone felt the hopelessness of the situation creep up on them, like darkness crept up on the world at dusk.  </p><p>Hollow was the first to become reinvigorated, standing up and moving towards the kitchen. They could feel two pairs of eyes on them, but the gazes were ignored. Hollow grabbed a notebook and pen, and began to open each and every cupboard.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Hornet’s voice was quiet, but undeniably curious as she stared at her sibling.</p><p>Hollow turned back around to face their sister, their eyes hard and face set. ‘I’m taking stock of all of our food, since we will need to know how long we should have until we need to get more supplies.’</p><p>‘I refuse to give up. Ghost and Myla need us right now, and I will not let them down.’</p><p>Hollow allowed themself a small smile as they saw a fire burn in Hornet’s eyes, one which wouldn’t be easily doused. They glanced at Quirrel, and saw that his eyes had brightened, and there was a new gleam there. As Hollow turned back around to continue taking stock, their shoulders relaxed slightly. The thought that maybe, if they were all lucky, everything would be okay. Maybe the optimism they held was naive, but it was better to hold the light of hope than be shrouded in the darkness of despair.</p>
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